was just about to purchase it to Himself by the shedding of His precious blood. We there find our Blessed LORD, having first declared that His work was finished on earth, and having earnestly besought the FATHER now to glorify Him, proceeds to pray for His Apostles, that His FATHER Would preserve them in unity, and truth, and holiness. He says, "I have manifested Thy name unto the men which Thou gavest Me out of the world; I have given unto them the words that Thou gavest Me, and they have received them; Holy FATHER, keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given Me, that they may be one as We are. Sanctify them through Thy truth; Thy word is truth. As Thou hast sent Me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth." Thus did CHRIST lay the foundations of His One Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church ;--in the remainder of His prayer He intreats like blessings for all who should be built on this sure foundation, that they might be so joined together in unity of spirit by the Apostles' doctrine, as to be made a holy temple acceptable to God through Him. (Collect for St. Simon and St. Jude,) "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word; that they all may be one, as Thou FATHER art in Me and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me." Accordingly, we read that when, on the day of Pentecost, three thousand were brought to believe on CHRIST through St. Peter's word, they were baptized into that holy communion, "and they continued stedfast in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship," (according to a text already quoted,) and the LORD daily added fresh members to this Church. And in later times, when false teachers were gone abroad seducing the disciples, the Apostles wrote to them, declaring and reminding them what the Apostolic doctrine was, that they might have the joy fulfilled in themselves of knowing that they were in the unity of the Apostolic Church, one in CHRIST and in the FATHER. And so St. Paul explains why he wrote to the Corinthians, "not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy; for by faith ye stand." (2 Cor. i. 24.)

St. Peter, again, in his Second Epistle, uses exactly the same language with St. John. He writes as a servant and an Apostle

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of JESUS CHRIST, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us; according as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness; exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the Divine nature:" i. e. he does not draw any line of difference between himself and his brethren, as if he had miraculous powers which they had not; but rests his teaching on the plain fact of his being commissioned, and commissioned with the simple object of communicating the doctrine which had been disclosed to him. He addresses his converts just as St. John does, not as though they were ignorant or unmindful of the truth, but in order to strengthen their conviction of those holy facts and doctrines to which he and his brother-Apostles were commissioned to bear witness. "I will not be negligent," he says, "to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance. Moreover, I will endeavour that after my decease ye may have these things always in remembrance. For We have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, but were eye-witnesses of His Majesty, . . . . and this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with Him in the Holy Mount." Again he says, "This Second Epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance, that ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy Prophets, and of the commandment of us the Apostles of the LORD and SAVIOUR." For by adherence to the commandment of the Apostles, and the doctrine of the Prophets, it might be known that Christians were building themselves up on the only true foundation, even JESUS CHRIST.

But it is in St. Paul's writings that we shall find the fullest and clearest view of Apostolical Authority; and it is well worthy of our observation, that the Church upon which the Apostle most strongly enforces that Authority, is the very Church which is most distinguished in the New Testament for the abundance of its Spiritual gifts; so that clearly it was not an exclusive possession of miraculous powers, which constituted the distinction between Apostles and private Christians. He begins his First Epistle to the Corinthians

by thanking God on their behalf" for the grace of God which was given them by JESUS CHRIST, that in every thing they were enriched by Him in all utterance and in all knowledge, so that they came behind in no gift." But the Apostle goes on immediately to reprove them for their want of unity; it had been declared to him, that there were contentions among them. And how did these contentions arise ?—in low views of Apostolical Authority. They had forgotten that there was but One Foundation; One Building of GOD; One Rule, according to which the several builders must carry up the structure which Apostles had founded. And how did the Apostle endeavour to drive out the spirit of schism?-by asserting and enforcing his own authority over them, as the one only father whom they had in the Gospel, (though they might choose for themselves ten thousand instructors,) and by sending Timothy to bring them. into remembrance of his ways which were in CHRIST, as he taught every where in every Church. Thus were they to be brought back to the blessed unity of spirit of the One Catholic and Apostolic Church. And here, by the way, we have light thrown upon the doctrine contained in the Epistles of Ignatius. Remarkable and consolatory to the inquirer after truth as is the evidence therein afforded to the divine appointment of Episcopacy, perhaps there is mingled with his satisfaction some surprise at the earnestness and frequency with which the Holy Martyr urges the doctrine. But it is plain, what the Apostles are in St. Paul's Epistles, such the Bishops are in those of Ignatius-centres of unity; and as St. Paul, when denouncing schism, magnifies the Apostolic Office, in just the same natural, or rather necessary way, does Ignatius oppose the varieties of opinion in his own day by the doctrine of Episcopacy.-To return the same Apostle writes to the Church of Rome; "I myself am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of GOD, that I should be the Minister of JESUS CHRIST to the Gentiles, ministering the Gospel of God." (Rom. xv. 14-16.) The passage which follows is worthy of especial notice, as showing that the Apostles marked out for themselves distinct provinces, so that each had his own Diocese, as it were, his own peculiar sphere

of duty and authority. St. Paul tells us he strove to preach not where Christ was named, lest he should build upon another man's foundation (ibid. v. 20.). Each laid down for himself his own "measure," and would not stretch beyond it (2 Cor. x. 14.). And this will perhaps help to explain the fact, which early tradition hands down to us, of the wide dispersion of the Apostolic Body. At all events, it is certain from History, that the different Churches claiming Apostolic Descent, were very careful to maintain the practices which they had severally derived from their respective Founders. To the Church of Corinth accordingly St. Paul writes as its sole Founder and Father, claiming upon this ground Supreme Authority over it in the name of JESUS CHRIST. And with this Epistle before us, we cannot doubt of the conclusion which, we have already seen, may be clearly enough deduced from other Epistles of the New Testament, viz. that the Authority which the Apostles claim for themselves, they claim, not on the ground of high supernatural endowments, (for these were the possession of the Church at large,) but on the ground of " the Grace and Apostleship" which they had received from CHRIST, the Head of the Christian Church, “ for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name." That is, they refer directly to their Commission, as His Apostles, to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature; they refer to the authority with which He invested them, when He stood in the midst of them, and said unto them, "as MY FATHER hath sent Me, even so SEND I you," and bade them receive the HOLY GHOST, to be with them in the prosecution of their High and Holy Office. This point is very strikingly exhibited in the First Epistle to the Corinthians, because there the possession of extraordinary gifts, and the possession of Spiritual Authority, are brought into immediate contrast with each other. The Corinthians, proud of the gifts of new teachers, had raised parties in opposition to St. Paul, and questioned his authority. How then did he maintain it? not by claiming higher gifts and graces for himself, (though he spoke with tongues more than they all,) but by referring to his Office, as a Minister and an Apostle of CHRIST, whose One Spirit governs the whole body of the Church, appointing divers orders, and dividing to every man severally as He will. That he was an Apostle he proved by the fact, that he had been equally favoured with the Twelve; that he had

seen our LORD JESUS CHRIST in the flesh and had received the doctrines of His Gospel, and grace to preach them to the world. This was the simple ground on which he claimed Authority; it was not because of the gifts or graces which he, as an individual, possessed; nor was it because he had laboured more abundantly than all the other Apostles; nor because of his signal labours and afflictions for CHRIST's sake. He mentions these in his Second Epistle, to show that, if he chose to adopt the language of his adversaries, he had a better right than they to glory; but all the while he tells the Corinthians that he was "become a fool in glorying;" that they had compelled him; that he could show the signs of an Apostle, and needed no epistles of commendation. It was in right of his office that he claimed Authority; it was for the sake of that Office that he endeavoured to give no offence in any thing, but in all things to approve himself as the Minister of God.

Now, perhaps some persons may be disposed to think that this Apostolical Authority would terminate with the Apostles themselves, with the favoured men who had been "eye-witnesses and ministers of the Word," and could declare to others what they had themselves heard and seen. This might appear probable, if we had only our own reasonings to go upon; but Scripture teaches us a very different lesson. When St. Paul felt that his time was now nearly come, he writes to Timothy, his "dearly beloved son," giving him his last solemn charge, as to one who was henceforth to occupy the post which hitherto he had himself maintained in the battles of his LORD. He earnestly commands him, "watch THOU in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an Evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of My departure is at hand. have fought the good fight, I have finished My course, I have kept the faith." This faith, which St. Paul had so vigilantly kept was now to be committed to Timothy's care; he had already been put in trust with the Gospel by the HOLY GHOST and the imposition of the Apostle's hands; and now upon him was to devolve the solemn responsibility of being left in charge of the Apostle's testimony, and of handing it down to future ages. "Be not thou therefore ashamed," says the Apostle, " of the testimony